Vintage Revivals Going Out of Business
An antique storefront on Newport Avenue, Vintage Revivals Home & Garden Decor, has hung a banner above one of its front windows that reads: “Going Out of Business”. Located at 4847 Newport Ave, the store has been one of OB’s last antique stores on Newport. Some years ago, the main commercial street was an antique center of San Diego. (Hat tip to Debby Greene)
San Diego U-T Asks ‘Will OB Be Able to Move On After Hardware Store Closes and Target Moves In?’
John Wilkins at the U-T raises the relevant issue whether OB can recover from the double whammy of having its beloved hardware store close along with a new Target moving in across the street. Wilkins ponders:
… O.B. has long prided itself on being different — more community-minded, less interested in the prevailing financial, cultural and political winds. Still a small town where people passing on the sidewalk know each other. This is where “shop local” was the ethos long before it became trendy, so much so that when TV stations go looking for places to feature on Small Business Saturday— this year’s is next Saturday — they often wind up on Newport Avenue.
This is where the hippie counter-culture took hold in the 1960s and never really left, exerting an influence well beyond the tie-dyed T-shirts and peace symbols for sale in the souvenir shops. The People’s O.B. food co-op still operates. The O.B. Rag still publishes, albeit online. And grassroots activism still flares, which is why protesters put an anti-Target float in last year’s holiday parade and created a Facebook page that characterizes the upcoming store as a threat to “what it means to be O.B.”
And it’s why someone created a change.org petition in hopes of saving the hardware store by getting residents to promise to shop there. More than 550 people have signed it.
Small Business Saturday Coming Up in Ocean Beach on Nov. 24
Ocean Beach MainStreet Association is urging community residents to shop small and patronize local businesses while observing Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24. It’s their annual event. The OBMA says it’s celebrating the 100th year of neighborhood shopping in OB. It will be “a very Ocean Beach-themed day with a lot of art and music celebrating our artistic culture here in OB.”
Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday. Part of a national campaign sponsored by American Express, the event takes place every year the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Interestingly, it’s seen as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big-box retail and e-commerce stores, respectively. For, in contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick-and-mortar businesses that are small and local. According to the federal Small Business Administration, small businesses, so-called “mom and pops” defined in the United States as having fewer than 25 full-time employees with annual wages below $50,000, employ more than half of the country’s working class. San Diego Community News Group
Uber Launches Electric Bikes into the Beach Communities
Uber announced it is rolling out a fleet of electric bikes throughout San Diego called Jump. These bright red bikes come equipped with baskets and give users an electric boost while they pedal, letting cyclists travel up to 20 miles per hour without breaking a sweat. Uber is deploying 300 of these bikes across a 28 square-mile radius, largely concentrated in the beach communities and downtown San Diego. The company plans to ramp that up if demand warrants it, eventually expanding its service area to 95 square-miles by the end of the year. To help spur adoption, the company is offering free trips locally from now until Dec. 9. After that, they’ll cost $1 to unlock and 10 cents per minute to ride. San Diego Union-Tribune
OB Connection in Upcoming Murder Trial
A murder trial has been set for Feb. 25, 2019 for a National City man who is accused of killing an acquaintance who posted a video on the internet of the man and a woman having sex. Brian Eleron Hancock, 48, an electrician, pleaded not guilty Oct. 4 to the murder of Peter Bentz, 68, whose body was never found after he went missing in November 2017. A woman testified Hancock admitted to stabbing Bentz seven times after he was angered that Bentz posted the sexually explicit material online. Hancock is also charged with the special circumstance of murder during a robbery. Bentz vanished, but his blood was found in his Ocean Beach home where Bentz allegedly videotaped Hancock and a woman having sex, according to testimony in the preliminary hearing. The Star News
Pedestrian Seriously Injured By Pickup at Midway District Intersection
A 65-year-old man was seriously injured when he was struck by a pickup truck while walking in a crosswalk at a Midway District intersection, police said Monday. It happened at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Rosecrans and Kurtz streets, San Diego police Officer John Buttle said. A 29-year-old man was driving a 2004 Ford pickup truck southbound on Rosecrans Street and struck the 65-year-old man, who was walking in the crosswalk, as he made a left turn onto Kurtz Street, Buttle said. The victim was transported to a hospital with major injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening, Buttle said. It was not immediately clear who was at fault for the crash, Buttle said. Times of San Diego
Woman Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash in Point Loma
52-year-old woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Point Loma early Sunday, San Diego police said. Officers were sent to the area of Rosecrans Street and Nimitz Boulevard after someone reported a woman was standing in traffic about 12:15 a.m. When officers arrived, they found a woman who appeared to have been hit by a vehicle in southbound lanes, police Officer Robert Heims said. She died before she could be taken to a hospital. The vehicle involved was not found in the area. Police asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. SDU-T
Susan G. Komen Walkers Raised $6.3 million, Stroll Through OB
Participating in The Susan G. Komen 3-Day San Diego finished their 60-mile journey on Sunday. The annual walk, which supports breast cancer research and programs, raised $6.3 million this according to Komen officials. Walkers this year began their journey at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Friday morning, following along Torrey Pines State Beach, La Jolla Cove, Kellogg Park and through Bird Rock before spending Friday night at Crown Point Shores on Mission Bay. On Day 2, walkers continued their journey through Ocean Beach, Mission Bay Park, Tecolote Shores and De Anza Cove Park. The route for Day 3 on Sunday took walkers through Old Town, Mission Hills, Hillcrest and Balboa Park. A closing ceremony took place Sunday at Waterfront Park in Downtown. CBS8
Point Loma Teen Becomes Master Angler
Point Loma resident Ethan Mayes reached a fishing milestone in August that no other California fisherman has achieved. It took him five years, traveling up and down the California coast, but he finally became a Master Ocean Angler at just 13 years old. Mayes began fishing as an eight-year-old and after catching his first fish, he was immediately hooked. “I’ve been fishing every weekend for as long as I can and just fishing every single chance I get,” Mayes told FOX 5. “Over the summer, I fish basically every single day that my parents let me and fishing, you know, it’s just a way of life for me.” The 13-year-old took to the sport like a natural and began logging his catches in the California Fishing Passport Program, a booklet that allows anglers to record the date, place and species of at least 50 different saltwater fish caught within California waters. Fox5
Former Point Loma Pop Warner Coach Passes
Former Pointer and Pop Warner football coach Steve Bartel died last week at the age of 64. Bartel, a member of the PLHS Class of 1972, coached at the Pee Wee level during Point Loma Pop Warner’s inaugural years in 1970s, working with late head coach Steve Tornay, a local attorney. Later, Bartel served as an assistant football coach with the high school team from 1977-1980. He began a long career at SDSU in 1981, serving in the athletic equipment room for 20 years before moving to a position as facility operations coordinator. He was nearing retirement at the time of his death. In 1988 he was named “Equipment Manager of the Year” by the Athletic Equipment Managers Association. Among his credits was assisting Holiday Bowl teams over the years as well as the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins before Super Bowls in San Diego. Bartel, a Point Loma resident, is survived by his wife Vicki and three sons. The Peninsula Beacon
OB Man Rode Bicycle to New York City to Raise Funds for Gold-Star Families
An Ocean Beach man who rode his bicycle across the country all the way to New York City to raise money for Gold Star families – relatives of US military members who died in battle – has returned to San Diego. Ryan Gehris raised more than $3,000 for Gold Star families. Click here if you would like to make a donation. CBS8It’s Gehris’ the “Pedaling for Pattie” campaign. The goal is to help Goldstar children receive a higher education, which he believes is necessary to compete in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.
OB and Pt. Loma Businesses In the News
- Hodad’s – about their new craft beer.
- Current Collective at 5032 Niagara Ave.
- Run for Cover -OB newest local book joint at 4912 Voltaire St.
- Pigment 2885 Perry Road, Liberty Station
- Baker & Olive 2820 Historic Decatur Road, Liberty Station
- Moniker General 2860 Sims Road, Liberty Station
- The Cravory
- Le Parfait Paris – Liberty Public Market, 2820 Historic Decatur Road
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